President Donald Trump said China’s Xi Jinping “acted responsibly” with protests in Hong Kong after seven weekends of demonstrations and new fears that protesters and the China-backed government are heading toward a violent confrontation.
“I hope that President Xi will do the right thing but it has been going on a long time, there’s no question,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.
The city’s embattled leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, has resisted calls to resign despite protests exceeding 1 million participants. What began as a largely leaderless effort to block legislation allowing extraditions to the mainland has expanded into a list of demands including investigations into police tactics and a direct vote to replace Lam.
On Sunday, a peaceful rally of more than 100,000 people devolved into running street battles on opposite sides of the city.
(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.)